OTTAWA — The opposition New Democrats will ask a Commons committee next week to widen the scope of its investigation into identity fraud and probe the reasons behind thousands of data breaches that have plagued the federal government over the past 10 years.

The NDP argue such a study is needed to see what’s being done to solve “this massive problem,” and reduce the risk that future breaches could lead to someone having their identity stolen.

“We have no idea how many cases of data loss or breach or hacking have resulted in Canadians having their personal information or financial information stolen,” NDP MP Charlie Angus said. “We need to find that out.”

Among the 26 science and technology initiatives to receive funding is a joint government-academic project to develop capabilities to “identify, locate and mitigate potential wireless security threats,” strengthen Canada’s digital infrastructure, and improve responses to cyber threats. The partners in the project are Defence Research and Development Canada, Laval University in Quebec City and the University of Western Ontario in London.

OTTAWA — A policy gap in the federal government’s cyber-security efforts was filled Thursday with the release of an action plan the auditor general said was badly needed.

The action plan lays out who is responsible for what when it comes to cyber attacks and any successful intrusions, what initiatives the government wants to see happen under the cyber-security strategy, and a timeline for implementation.

Of the 68 actions listed in the plan, 36 are ongoing, one has yet to begin — a five-year review of the strategy, scheduled to happen in 2015 — and 30 are either completed or said to be on track to be finished by the end of the year.